The ways to treat alcoholism are as diverse as the people who need treatment. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, no magic bullet. Some find success with inpatient rehab centers but these are expensive.

A less costly but more self-reliant alternative is outpatient alcohol rehab. Outpatient treatment is designed for those who do not have a severe alcohol addiction.  It allows you to live at home and to continue working.

Let's look at what you'll find with this type of treatment.

Outpatient Overview
Outpatient alcohol rehabs are typically offered as a service within a larger, inpatient treatment center. Because you will live at home and be independent throughout your rehab, people with severe alcohol dependencies are not recommended for this treatment.

Programs are designed with a combination of approaches including individual and group counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, 12-step facilitation, motivation enhancement therapy, anger management, and stress management.

Outpatient alcohol rehab programs can last anywhere from 30 days to one year.

Here is a sample of areas that will be covered in treatment:

  • Developing coping skills
  • Establishing or maintaining your support system
  • Developing self-esteem
  • Managing stress
  • Controlling anxiety and depression

Initial Meeting
Once you've found an outpatient alcohol rehab facility, you'll meet with the staff for an alcohol assessment. This usually takes about two hours and includes an interview to gather detailed medical and family history. Mental health issues are explored. And additional information may be gathered from family members.

A doctor will draw your blood for evaluation to get a health baseline. The doctor will also determine whether you need medically supervised detox. You'll meet with the Director and usually a counselor to plan your treatment process.

Let's look at the types of programs you'll encounter in treatment.

Individual Counseling
Individual counseling sessions occur weekly (and more often, depending on your needs) at the treatment facility or sometimes at a place of your choosing. You and a therapist will explore all issues related to your addiction and treatment such as depression, marital problems, low self-esteem, sexual abuse, stress, etc. You'll learn ways to resolve inner and outer conflicts, and you'll learn new skills to cope with alcohol abstinence.

Group Counseling
Humans by their nature enjoy congregating. For alcohol therapy, group counseling provides a setting for one to reduce their isolation, depression and shame. Group counseling offers a supportive environment for addicts to learn about their addictions, including what triggers alcohol abuse and how to cope with these triggers.

12-Step Programs
Created as the backbone of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the 12 steps are synonymous with addiction recovery.

The 12 steps are discussed in group meetings with the goal of getting and keeping you through behavior modification, changing your perception, identifying what's important, and ultimately getting your life back in balance. It is a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual transformation.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In CBT, alcoholism is viewed as a learned behavior that produces desired results such as "feeling good" or "reducing stress". The approach of this therapy is "to identify the specific needs that alcohol and drugs are being used to meet, and (2) develop skills that provide alternative ways of meeting those needs," according to a Behavioral Health Recovery Management paper.

CBT helps alcoholics recognize situations when they are most likely to drink and how to avoid those times and cope with their urges. An effective CBT training program is the SMART Recovery, which bases itself on abstinence motivations, problem solving and coping skills.

Motivation Enhancement Therapy
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "seeks to evoke from clients their own motivation for change and to consolidate a personal decision and plan for change."

MET employs principles of cognitive and social psychology where the therapist develops "a discrepancy in the client's perceptions between current behavior and significant personal goals." The therapy is similar to CBT.

There are usually two to four sessions lasting an hour each.

Anger Management
These classes are designed to give you tools to recognize angry feelings, identify causes, decide how to react, and prevent future angry feelings. Some methods of controlling anger are exercising, meditation, changing your thought patterns, and keeping a log of your anger.

Summary
Outpatient alcohol rehab is not for everyone. If you are a severe alcoholic, seek help in an inpatient treatment program. Those in outpatient rehab must be self-reliant and able to resist drinking urges any time they are not in a program session.

Sources:
http://www.bhrm.org/guidelines/CBT-Kadden.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK14531/
http://archives.drugabuse.gov/adac/ADAC9.html